The present invention relates to implantable medical devices, and more particularly to an alert system for an implantable medical device.
During the latter portion of the twentieth century, it became common to implant medical devices to provide therapy for a vast number of medical conditions. Such devices included electrical stimulation devices, pain control devices, and drug delivery systems. Additionally and as these devices became more complex, it became necessary to monitor both their operation and the patient's condition.
At the same time, patients with implantable medical devices (IMDs) have come to expect a fuller life post-implant. These expectations often include few, if any, restrictions on their lifestyle. Thus, patients expect a great degree of mobility while their medical condition is being monitored and/or treated by the IMD and their physician. Semi-annual or annual in-office checkups for the IMD and the patient limits the frequency of monitoring. Moreover, the patient feels that he or she must remain close to the clinician's clinic or the hospital where checkups take place. Further, emergency situations may sometimes occur which, in the mind of the elderly patient, demand a very close proximity to the attending clinician. Going to the clinic for frequent check-ups may impose a considerable burden on the patient as well as an overall increase in the cost of healthcare. Accordingly, some IMDs are equipped with a communication system that connects to an interface in such a manner that it is transparent to the patient and yet provides the medical data required by the clinician.
Until recently, data transmission systems within IMDs were only capable of transferring data over a very small distance. Recent advances in wireless telemetry systems, often utilizing radio frequency (RF) systems, have opened the door to a whole host of new technologies. These technologies are reducing the burden on patients to perform routine tasks and are allowing patients to live with greater freedom and fewer restrictions on their lifestyle. However, there still exist multiple ways in which wireless telemetry systems can be utilized to further enhance the freedom of patients and the quality of care that they receive.
For example, some current IMDs require patient interaction when various events occur. An alarm system which creates an audible alarm to alert the patient to the occurrence of an event. The patient then must either initiate a transfer of data to the clinician over the telephone or like systems or must immediately contact a clinician who can assess the situation. A patient who is relying on the therapy of an IMD can become very distressed when an audible alarm in the IMD begins to sound. Conversely, an audible alarm is often not heard by the patient.